The 12/12 switch .

Hey all
I just did a repot yesterday plant looking really nice .im just about to flip the lights in a few days .giving her time to settle in. Have heard ,read or got in my head somewhere idk. that it is good to give a extended dark period before the flip . can anyone confirm this .or should i just flip and run with that?

Also my lumen output will be higher .would it also be wise to ease into the higher lumens? running almost 200 accual watts for veg .if i add up the advertised lumens would this be an accurate way of calculating light output? if so im running 12250 lumens. in my box thats 16in wide 24in deep 31in tall ..
When i flip lights ill be running 2 42 watt 2700k 3 26w 2700k and 2 26w 6500k
14150 lumens..
As i said before i dont know if this is accurate or not.. And im sure this would play alot into how close the bulbs are to the plant..
thanks all

I dont know if there is any scientific data for it, but many pro growers and breeders put their plant in the dark for 24-48 hrs before 12/12. Since they do it, I do it too. In fact I have one in the closet now.

It's not crucial but it's always good to make any kind of change in the plant's environment incrementaly if you can, to give it time to adjust. I use a 600W HPS and put the plants further away than they will be once they are acclimatized.

Your spectrum looks good. I used a setup like that once but mostly I grow under HID lamps.

I don't think lumens are a useful way to assess grow lights. Here is a brilliantly clear explanation of the issue

Lumens do not add up like that.

I'm fairly certain that what ever the max rating on your biggest bulb is, is your max lumens. The other light will not increase lumens, but will only increase the penetration of those already present lumens.

i go straight to 12/12 i think 2 days of dark is just messing with the light schedule too much ....

Ah right on ! Thanks for the explanations . i really didnt know how that all worked out with lumens. Im shooting for sunday/monday to flip the lights .im thinking ill raise the lights and gradually move them coloser over few days..see how that goes..

I would let it go in veg a bit longer. your root growth will be little to nothing in flower, meaning the repot you just did, the plant wont even benefit from it as the roots will barely stretch into the new space they have. good luck and good growing

gotigers0420 said:

I would let it go in veg a bit longer. your root growth will be little to nothing in flower, meaning the repot you just did, the plant wont even benefit from it as the roots will barely stretch into the new space they have. good luck and good growing

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Yes after thinking about this, i will def wait . i do think that is too soon to start pushing for flowers ,need good roots .
i was getting in a bit of rush .thanks for putting me back on track .. gotigers0420

i did a 36 hour darkness period just this week right before i went into 12/12 yesterday. they looked so refreshed that im tempted to do it every time now.

chiefEd said:

i did a 36 hour darkness period just this week right before i went into 12/12 yesterday. they looked so refreshed that im tempted to do it every time now.

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Good deal .Thanks for the report chiefEd
Thanks again all for the advice! +rep

I just switched right into 12/12 right after the last dark period. Also im pretty sure Beefbisquit is right about the lumen rating. I was arguing with a friend the same issue on how the bulb with the highest set lumens is the max lumens available. 14k would be great from a single bulb. invest in a 200w CFL bulb which produces about 10,000 lumens by itself. and for your grow area that should be perfect.

I on the other hand have eased my plants into a 12/12 cycle. Plants know how to grow themselves naturally they have been around longer than we have. I always look at it as how does the natural cycle of the earth work. I don't just wake up one day and it is 12 hrs daylight and 12 hrs darkness it slowly gets there. Here is my regimen, i know everbody has ther own deal but, this works extremely well for me with 0 hermie and 0 stress to my girls.

24 on wks 1-4
18/6- wks 5&6
14/10 wks 7&8 which actually inhibits flowering
12/12 till finish

You can play with this however like if you only want to veg for 6 weeks then you just shorten your weeks. I have done it both way and I have switched right to 12/12 and have done well, on the other hand I have gotten hermies too, maybe strain dependant i'm not sure, but this way I have never gotten hermies and have always maintained beautiful healthy plants......There is alot of good growers on this forum and alot of good advice too it truly is up to you though to decide what is best for your plants.....Good Luck brother...happy growing